Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 7:45 pm

Can't Dance, Isn't Part of Revolution

Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:16 amPosts: 147Location: Detroit

Mine was an unplanned overnight transition (those college campus PETA presentations work!). Whenever I thought about eating meat, I would think about biting into a living thing. If I had a craving for chicken drumsticks, I would imagine biting and tearing off a piece of my arm. Ham was biting into a pig's butt, steak was a cow's side. I very quickly associated meat with a mouth full of grossness. After 2 months, I didn't even think about eating it.

The sides are the best part of Thanksgiving! Just do the best you can and remember that no one is perfect.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:18 am

ol' garly cooch

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:41 pmPosts: 2828Location: Kashyyyk

I'm not going to lie. Sometimes I miss meat. Here's the thing. I educated myself, so by going vegan I made this deliberate choice to not give in to my desires because I realized fulfilling my wants isn't always the most spiritual thing to do. I had been on and off the veggie go round for years and was living omni, resentful of veggies and vegans. Then I realized I had turned into a flesh eating zombie, had lost my connection with what a holy thing it is to eat and create love with food, so I stopped. It wasn't an overnight process. I armed myself with cookbooks and joined the PPK forum so I could feel supported. It all worked out. When I crave non vegan stuff, I tell myself, I crave the nostalgia, not the food itself. I want the flavor of fatty and salty, not cheese. I want the comfort of company at an all night diner, not the non-vegan pancakes. I hope that all makes sense.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:27 am

Tofu Pup

Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:12 amPosts: 14Location: Indiana

jewbacca wrote:

I'm not going to lie. Sometimes I miss meat. Here's the thing. I educated myself, so by going vegan I made this deliberate choice to not give in to my desires because I realized fulfilling my wants isn't always the most spiritual thing to do. I had been on and off the veggie go round for years and was living omni, resentful of veggies and vegans. Then I realized I had turned into a flesh eating zombie, had lost my connection with what a holy thing it is to eat and create love with food, so I stopped. It wasn't an overnight process. I armed myself with cookbooks and joined the PPK forum so I could feel supported. It all worked out. When I crave non vegan stuff, I tell myself, I crave the nostalgia, not the food itself. I want the flavor of fatty and salty, not cheese. I want the comfort of company at an all night diner, not the non-vegan pancakes. I hope that all makes sense.

I've totally educated myself, still am- I don't want to eat animal products anymore! I started this change for my own health (migraine issues) but I really believe it is everything I've learned since in combination with my original issues that will make this a lifelong commitment. I started this off with a 30 day trial in my head just to see if I could do it, I told myself I wouldn't watch all of the videos or look at all of the animal treatment info and pictures until I knew I could do this (former veggie HATER- HAH). I decided I could do this by the end of the first week and opened my eyes to how the food world really is- and watched it all. I'm not sure rewatching videos like some have suggested will turn off the craving since it is not a logic based craving but I do like the idea of seeing if it could be a mineral/vitamin in the thing I'm craving that my body wants.

I like your comment about craving nostalgia, I'm sure that is exactly how Thanksgiving will be. I'm going to seriously have to rock the side dishes. On the Thanksgiving note- how is the Tofurkey dinner anyone know? I try to not depend on the fake meats but....

_________________-Sullyn

I became Vegan for health reasons.I AM 100% for the ethical treatment of animals. But-I won't lie about, or apologize for, why I made this lifestyle change. Organically, Me

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:51 am

Invented Vegan Meringue

Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:50 pmPosts: 3737Location: The Bene

I still think omni stuff smells good and get the occasional craving, especially when I'm out and hungry and no convenient vegan food is available. Being prepared by having something to curb the hunger pangs until I can make something satisfying for myself helps. Also, remembering why I chose to go vegan. The nice thing is that I've now been cooking vegan long enough that I'm actually starting to crave specific vegan dishes more often than craving omni ones from my previous life!

_________________I ate the shiitake out of inappropriateness. - Hollie

I went vegan overnight as well. I had one 'slip' that made me so sick I never wanted to try it again.

Once I started cooking I found that I didn't miss the meat n recipes, I missed the seasoning. For example, vegan bacon was a perfect sub once I realized I wanted the smoky flavor, not the pork, and sunflower or soy crumbles stood in for ground beef when I noticed the texture and flavor were there. You just have to experiment.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:31 am

Vegan Since Before There Were Vegetables

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:30 pmPosts: 11583

It's kind of like quitting smoking. You just have to be patient with yourself. I quit smoking eight years ago and I still get cravings, even though the smell is repulsive to me.

The omni foods I liked the most (chicken and hard cheeses) gave me cravings, but that tapered off really, really quickly. You're lucky to be going vegan at a time where fake-meat/cheese stuff is abundant. I used some of that stuff at first, and don't use it as much now (well, I could eat Cheezly every day if it were available here...), however I don't shun it. I think the fake stuff takes some getting used to, but is a good transition food for new vegans.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 5:10 pm

Not NOT A Furry

Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:26 pmPosts: 466Location: Zagreb, Croatia

I first went lacto-ovo vegetarian, but mainly for ethical reasons and I knew I'd become vegan eventually (took me 21 more months).

Even before I became a vegetarian, I felt terribly when eating meat. "I'm cutting into somebody's muscles! How would I feel if somebody cut into my muscles?!"

I used to like ham / prosciutto my parents cured and smoked. 3 months after I became a vegetarian I came to spend the summer with them, and found it on the table, a whole pig's leg with only a few slices missing. I decided to smell it to see if I still craved it. I wouldn't eat it, of course but wanted to test myself. It smelled the same as before, I didn't notice any different scent note, but it was repulsive. I didn't expect that. I don't think it was something to do with my ethics because I felt bad for eating it before I became a vegetarian. I think it's like when a person stops smoking, and finds the smell of lit cigarettes really disgusting.

I never ate much cheese, so it was no problem. I'm just starting to develop a taste for it, store-bought and Artisan Vegan Cheese recipes.

Perhaps fish is something I still crave. A few weeks ago I accidentally made furikake that reminded me of fried sardines. I made some walnut parmesan: just salt, nutritional yeast and walnuts. I usually use gomashio and nori flakes as furikake, but, this time I added walnut parmesan, too. I couldn't believe it.

When it comes to eggs, I used to eat a lot of them, but didn't really miss them until I bought black salt. I like to add it on my French toast (it's never sweetened here). I like this vegan poached egg: http://airyway.blogspot.com/2010/08/veg ... -salt.html The yolk is surprisingly similar to egg yolk as I remember it.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:30 pm

Lubes With Earth Balance

Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:15 amPosts: 1618

Hmm. I stopped wanting meat (most of the time, anyway) probably after a few months of being vegan. I still drool when I smell pepperoni pizza, though. The best way to avoid being bothered by it is to have other food available. Damn near any food seems appetizing to me if I'm hungry!

choirqueer wrote:

I know this is a bit controversial, but I found it to be true for me -- when I had cravings at first, I would treat them as my body telling me that I needed a particular nutrient that was found in the food I was craving. Then I would think about what I'd been eating lately and realize "oh, I haven't been eating enough protein/iron/fat/whatever" and then eat something vegan that was a good source of that nutrient. For instance, if I felt like I was craving steak, I would go eat something like spinach that is also high in iron. I found that this almost always works for me. It's not necessarily the right strategy for everybody, but it definitely helped me a lot!

Spinach actually isn't a good source of iron, just FYI! It contains oxalates which inhibit iron and calcium absorption.

_________________"One time I meant to send a potential employer a resume, but I accidentally sent them a bucket of puke!

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:55 pm

Sick of Cupcakes

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:35 pmPosts: 6775Location: Norristown, PA

Jigglypuff wrote:

choirqueer wrote:

I know this is a bit controversial, but I found it to be true for me -- when I had cravings at first, I would treat them as my body telling me that I needed a particular nutrient that was found in the food I was craving. Then I would think about what I'd been eating lately and realize "oh, I haven't been eating enough protein/iron/fat/whatever" and then eat something vegan that was a good source of that nutrient. For instance, if I felt like I was craving steak, I would go eat something like spinach that is also high in iron. I found that this almost always works for me. It's not necessarily the right strategy for everybody, but it definitely helped me a lot!

Spinach actually isn't a good source of iron, just FYI! It contains oxalates which inhibit iron and calcium absorption.

Well, all I can tell ya is that before I went vegan, I always had low iron levels, but since going vegan, I always have high iron (like, doctors don't believe me when I tell them I'm vegan, because of my high iron levels) and I can't think of any other reason why that would be besides that I eat spinach and other leafy green vegetables constantly.

_________________Man, fork the gender card, imma come at you with the whole damned gender deck. - Olives Did you ever think that, like, YOU are a sexy costume FOR a diva cup? - solipsistnationblog!FB!

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:31 pm

Nailed to the V

Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:56 pmPosts: 591

You are not alone! Like many others I didn't stop eating animal products because I thought they were gross, on the contrary! What has really helped me is being conscious of what those foods actually are which is enough to gross me out and make me realize that I don't want to partake in that when I'm lucky enough to not have too. Buy some cookbooks or go online and look for veganized versions of your favorite meals. Vegan cooking has come a long way and many of your cravings can be covered, it's awesome! I appreciate some of the high quality vegan meats and cheeses that exist and there is no reason to avoid them, everything but veggies in moderation! There are many recipes for thanksgiving type roasts and meatloaf as well as a bunch that can be bought at the store and they taste pretty great and satisfy meat cravings in both taste and texture. For me veganism is a fun adventure and finding vegan versions of favorite foods is such an awesome treat because having everything available at our fingertips usually means taking food for granted. I wish you the best of luck, and know you will be able to do this!

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:44 am

Invented Vegan Meringue

Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:50 pmPosts: 3737Location: The Bene

choirqueer wrote:

Jigglypuff wrote:

choirqueer wrote:

I know this is a bit controversial, but I found it to be true for me -- when I had cravings at first, I would treat them as my body telling me that I needed a particular nutrient that was found in the food I was craving. Then I would think about what I'd been eating lately and realize "oh, I haven't been eating enough protein/iron/fat/whatever" and then eat something vegan that was a good source of that nutrient. For instance, if I felt like I was craving steak, I would go eat something like spinach that is also high in iron. I found that this almost always works for me. It's not necessarily the right strategy for everybody, but it definitely helped me a lot!

Spinach actually isn't a good source of iron, just FYI! It contains oxalates which inhibit iron and calcium absorption.

Well, all I can tell ya is that before I went vegan, I always had low iron levels, but since going vegan, I always have high iron (like, doctors don't believe me when I tell them I'm vegan, because of my high iron levels) and I can't think of any other reason why that would be besides that I eat spinach and other leafy green vegetables constantly.

Legumes are one of the best sources of iron out there, so if you're eating beans/soy/lentils, etc, there's a good chance that's helping contribute to it.

_________________I ate the shiitake out of inappropriateness. - Hollie

I still struggle - I'm finally giving up the Morningstar veggie burgers at Burger King. I try to always think of the hens when I want something made with eggs. Milk makes me sick, I don't crave that. I gotta say, So Delicious vanilla soy based ice cream has helped me transition. And I stopped craving cheese some time ago. Grilled meat still awakens something of a craving. I'm rolling with the flow and experimenting more than ever with new vegan recipes at home. I still need to eat more leafy greens. I make a lot of chili, and have discovered a new love for spiciness.

I also admit that one of my teenaged sons, who has been vegetarian for 8 years, really inspires me. Here's hoping he eventually goes down the vegan road. My youngest daughter says she is definitely going vegan when she goes to college, and she has always been a carnivore! My other son encourages me to stay the course (and avoid the aforementioned So Delicious mentioned above). My oldest daughter is an omni, but eats mostly a plant-based diet. My family has been amazingly supportive of my choice, and we cook together a lot of the time.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:48 pm

Impressive boner

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:57 pmPosts: 4539Location: Nottingham.

GraciaKai wrote:

I will add this. Sometimes your senses just change on their own. The smell of fish never used to bother me one bit. Today by chance three people in my office have reheated fish for lunch. I had to run out of the building to escape it. Now I have a candle lit in my office because I can't stand the stench. Seriously, ready to vomit.

Yup.

Every time we go near the rotisserie in the supermarket I have to cover my nose. We had to leave a tea shop the other day because the smell of toasted cheese was so overwhelming and nauseating.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:16 pm

Can't Dance, Isn't Part of Revolution

Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:22 pmPosts: 159

I still crave some things when I smell them. Substitutes, even if they aren't great, help me when I get a craving like that. They are a once every now and then thing but thank god for those crappy tofurky frozen pizzas.

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:49 pm

Smuggling Raisins

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:10 pmPosts: 335

MoniDew wrote:

I un-programmed my pavlovian response by reprogramming myself. When I see the commercials or smell the food, I think, "ewwwww.... that's so gross! that looks disgusting! that's revolting! etc" Pretty soon, those responses became very real, literal, visceral responses. I can't watch television or drive past a fast food joint without wanting to hurl.

This is no trick, you're simply telling yourself the truth about those foods for the very first time in your life. When you realize that, you'll be doing it spontaneously.

When I first went vegan, I only craved cheese once.

It was in the first week or so, and I really just wanted some string cheese or a cube of cheddar - but of course, I didn't want to cave into that craving because I wanted to respect the decision I'd made. So instead I just sat and thought about cheese. The smell, taste, texture, colour. I guess I thought just a little too hard, imagined that cheese a little too vividly, because it started to just become grotesque. Suddenly the smell seemed really overpowering and pungent, the taste seemed really gross and almost rotten, and the idea of the waxy texture against my teeth made me want to go wash out my mouth!

I think a lot of foods people enjoy and really end up craving can be really gross if you think too hard about it. I mean, no need to go to Clockwork Orange lengths or anything, but you should be able to stop lusting after omni foods, haha.

Jigglypuff wrote:

Spinach actually isn't a good source of iron, just FYI! It contains oxalates which inhibit iron and calcium absorption.

Cooking it and/or eating it with something rich in C helps, though, right?

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 3:14 am

Should Write a Goddam Book Already

Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:39 amPosts: 1032Location: Sweden

I went from omni to vegan about two months ago, and definitely still get cravings, but not very often. I think all the "first times" are kind of trying. Like yesterday we bought pizza for the first time, and I was really jealous of my husband's cheesy gooey pizza with the creamy sauce on it, while I had a dry veggie pizza. Next time we get pizza, I'll prepare some kind of sauce (thinking of the cheezy sauce from Veganomicon) to put on it and I'll be fine. I mostly get cravings if I don't get enough protein, fat, salt and umami flavour.

_________________I tend to hook up with people who give me chocolate, but I fail to see how this is a bad thing./tofulish

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 6:27 am

Because Bob Barker Told Me To

Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:48 amPosts: 901Location: Montreal

I've been vegetarian for 18months, vegan on/off for 12 of those... I stopped the ovo-lacto again about 4wks ago (it was a hard pgncy where I had really nothing to eat... darn gestational diabetes!... so I fell off the wagon a bit, but I'm back vegan again). And it was so much easier this time around to just stop the dairy and eggs than the first time. I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew recipes and the likes that I could make. I knew about the cruelty to animals.. I had no need for such things in my life. And last January, I had watched Forks Over Knives and it all came back to me a few days ago. Horrible!! So here I am, fully vegan again, and intend to stay that way for a veryyyyy long time.

_________________~SARAH~

“I did not become a vegetarian for my health, I did it for the health of the chickens.”

Post subject: Re: For those who converted from omni to vegan... a question

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:15 am

Double double, toil and trouble

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 9:24 pmPosts: 332Location: Boulder, CO

choirqueer wrote:

I know this is a bit controversial, but I found it to be true for me -- when I had cravings at first, I would treat them as my body telling me that I needed a particular nutrient that was found in the food I was craving. Then I would think about what I'd been eating lately and realize "oh, I haven't been eating enough protein/iron/fat/whatever" and then eat something vegan that was a good source of that nutrient. For instance, if I felt like I was craving steak, I would go eat something like spinach that is also high in iron. I found that this almost always works for me. It's not necessarily the right strategy for everybody, but it definitely helped me a lot!

I did this, as well! That said, I've been vegan since 2007, and I still think a lot of meats smell good while they're cooking. I just no longer see meat as food, I suppose because I have habitually not eaten it for so long. I'm actually quite grateful that I never developed the abject horror response that a lot of vegans seem to have to the smell or sight of meat. My husband and many of my friends are omni, and I love having meals with them without any of us feeling uncomfortable about what who is ordering!